Herceptin Use and Prognosis for Stage IV

[Lani]

News - Plant oil 'acts like cancer drug'
Inexpensive therapy hopeThe latest work by Dr Javier Menendez and colleagues at Northwestern University suggests evening primrose oil might be a cheaper alternative, or add extra protection.
2 Nov 2005

News - Olive oil acid 'cuts cancer risk'
Caution urgedDr Menendez said it might be possible to delay or prevent herceptin resistance in breast cancer patients carrying high levels of the rogue gene by including olive oil in their diet.
10 Jan 2005

Do the same and read the first article!

[Lani]

Oil May Fight a Cancer-Causing Gene

Miranda Hitti



Nov. 1, 2005 -- Could oil from tiny seeds help bring a big, bad cancer gene to its knees?

Maybe, but it's going to take a lot more work to find out, according to a new study in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Keep that in mind before you delve into the details of the study, which involved cancer cells, not people or animals.

The scientists included Javier Menendez, PhD, and Ruth Lupu, PhD.

Menendez is a research assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Lupu is a professor of medicine at Northwestern University and a researcher at Northwestern's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In One Corner: A Cancer Gene

The study focuses on the Her-2/neu cancer gene. It's involved in some (but not all) cancers, including more than a fifth of breast cancers.

The gene has been linked to particularly aggressive breast tumors, and cancer patients with this gene often have a poor prognosis, Lupu says in a news release.

The gene orders the overproduction of a protein called the Her-2/neu protein. Some cancer cells grow when exposed to Her-2/neu protein.

In the Other Corner: A Seed Oil

The researchers tested gamma-linolenic acid against cancer cells with the Her-2/neu gene.

Gamma-linolenic acid, or "GLA," is found in oil from the seeds of evening primrose, borage, and black currant. Some studies have suggested that GLA might target cancer cells without affecting healthy cells, write the scientists.

Round One: GLA vs. the Gene

The researchers studied human breast cancer cells with the Her-2/neu gene. They exposed some of those cells to GLA for 48 hours. For comparison, they left other cancer cells alone.

Afterward, they checked the surfaces of the cells for the Her-2/neu protein.

The GLA-exposed cancer cells showed "substantially" less of that protein than the cancer cells that hadn't been exposed to GLA, the researchers write.

Round Two: The Rematch

Next, the researchers exposed more breast cancer cells to various doses of GLA for 48 hours. Then, they poked around in part of those cells' genetic material.

The higher the GLA dose, the higher the odds that those cells didn't copy the Her-2/neu gene. GLA may have been a stumbling block in the copying of that cancer gene.

Round Three: Tag-Team With Cancer Drug

GLA has been shown to make cells more sensitive to the effects of some cancer drugs, write the researchers.

So they teamed GLA with the breast cancer drug Herceptin in some lab tests. Herceptin targets breast cancer cells that grow when exposed to the Her-2/neu protein.

The combination made breast cancer cells 30 to 40 times more sensitive to Herceptin. That was a significant difference, write the researchers.

GLA and Herceptin work differently on Her-2/neu, says Menendez in a news release.

Not a Knockout

The researchers call for more studies of GLA and cancers with the Her-2/neu gene. But they caution that extensive preliminary studies are necessary before GLA can be tested in clinical trials.

In January, the same team of researchers reported in the Annals of Oncology that a fatty acid found in olive oil may also counter the Her-2/neu gene. That study, too, was based on lab tests of breast cancer cells.

SOURCES: Menendez, J. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Nov. 2, 2005; vol 97: pp 1611-1615. WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Herceptin." News release, Northwestern University.

Reviewed by Louise Chang

[tousled1]

Cindee,

I am Stage III, HER2+++, ER/PR-, and out of 26 lymph nodes 14 were cancer. Do not despair because you can't receive Herceptin. They are constantly doing research and new drugs are becoming available all the time. Breast cancer is a dreadful disease and all the women on this board are fighting this disease. There is a lot of support here and a wealth of information.

[Joe]

Dear Cindee,

I am right here by your side. I will not give up on you, but you must promise to do the same! Your 7 yr old does indeed need you. Focus not on the fear, which is a daunting challenge I know, but rather on your wellness. WHAT YOU THINK ALL DAY PREDICTS YOUR FUTURE. So stay far from all forms of negativity (experiencing the necessary what ifs and horror scenarios) and moving as quickly as possible to serenity and the solid KNOWING that you were meant to remain here on Earth, happy, giving, caring, loving and grateful. Your child is a huge part of your mission here. Focus on the joy you derive from that relationship, not on the fearsome possibilities. DO NOT GIVE POWER AWAY TO SUCH NEGATIVE THINKING. You can control your thoughts. They are full of energy. Try to peacefully go to your center, in silence, breathing deeply, and connect with your Inner Self. That is your Soul, your Spirit. It is full of eons of wisdom, it is sacred energy, it puts you in touch with the power of the Universe, which is inifinite, beyond our comprehension. Be awes by the beauty that surrounds us all. And by your PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT, granted you as you were born into this world. Most of us do not know we are so strong and courageous. But how perceptive we become, how keen our hearing and understanding -- once we have been forced to find our Soul! Please stay in touch with me.

Has it been suggested that you go for every 3 or 4 month CT scans (of the chest/abdomen and pelvis -- with and without contrast)? This is enormously reassuring to me, a firm confirmation that I am STABLE. It's like renewing my contract with Life each time. I go to a oncological nutritionist, which in and of itself is a rarity and a find, in Manhattan. I take many immune boosting vitamins that keep my heart and bones strong as well, and fight free radicals.

You have the power to heal yourself (with the help of modern medicine and the right docs). I have 5 oncs. Each is brilliant and each is highly regarded by the professionals as well as me. They each treat me with respect, dignity and positivity. And they each have something different to add to the mix, to help me proceed.

WHAT DOES "CHF" MEAN?

You are not lost. You are having doubts and that is natural. But you can concentrate to aligning yourself w/your Spirit which is the True You and the source of great strength and courage, if you allow it to be.

I also do take 2 meds that help relax my mind and lift my spirits. I am an extremely positive person, despite 4th stage BC (in '95) and a metastasis in '98 to the liver. I am a warrior. And you too can determine to be one as well.

With loving and healing energy being sent your way,
ANDI